Shoplifter's getaway foiled by chief constable
Sir Stephen Watson cut off the suspect as he tried to escape
- Published
A suspected shoplifter's getaway was foiled after he fled straight into the path of the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police.
Sir Stephen Watson had been welcoming new recruits to the force at a passing-out parade at Sedgley Park, close to a police training site in Prestwich, when the unsuspecting suspect ran straight towards him.
The force's most senior officer spotted junior colleagues chasing the man and got ahead of the suspect to help cut off his escape, a force spokesman said.
He was arrested along with another man and woman, all in their 30s, on suspicion of theft from a store on Bury New Road.
Sir Stephen's intervention in front of the new cohort of recruits came after a security guard was allegedly assaulted at the store.
Officers gave chase as the suspect fled, before the chief constable detained the man.
The force has released footage of the incident to show Sir Stephen's involvement in the arrest.
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